Danielle Vaccaro

Exercise Physiologist, 200 Hr Registered Yoga Teacher, and Movement Coach
Danielle Vaccaro Movement
Danielle

Danielle Vaccaro

Exercise Physiologist, 200 Hr Registered Yoga Teacher, and Movement Coach
Danielle Vaccaro Movement
Advocate Location
Newark , NJ 07101
Specialty
Medical Guidance
Other Services
Insurance & Billing
TeleAdvocacy Available
Offers FREE Initial Consultation
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*Greater National Advocates Terms of Use Apply
How I Can Help
I feel confident in helping patients and loved ones with medical concerns in a variety of different ways. I work specifically with patients with EDS, Dysautonomia, MCAS, Endometriosis, Iron-Deficiency Anemia, Small Fiber Neuropathy, and other related conditions. I am happy to help patients who experience chronic pain and chronic fatigue find the answers they are looking for and so genuinely deserve in a fragmented healthcare system. It is my privilege to be able to aid in diagnosing as well as aid in treating these under researched and under diagnosed conditions. Most importantly, my primary goal is to empower the patient with knowledge and confidence in making decisions related to their health.

If you are here researching for Patient Advocates, you or a loved one may be looking for additional support as you navigate life with chronic pain and a myriad of symptoms that may cross over multiple body systems. Oftentimes those searching for an advocate, may have a complex medical history. You are not alone. I am here to help you with making your complex medical history more concise so that all your key points are brought to the attention of a specialist.

Organizing medical records and instilling confidence in a patient prior to an appointment is one of my strengths. I truly believe knowledge is power and preparing for appointments may be time consuming but well worth it in the end. I always start with researching the condition the patient has already been diagnosed with and/or a diagnosis the patient believes they are experiencing symptoms of. I also want to assist with bullet-pointing the symptoms the patient is experiencing on a daily/weekly basis; including details such as how often these symptoms are arising, the duration in which the symptom may last, an explanation of the symptoms, etc. Just as important, is my research of the specialists both myself and the patient are interested in, prior to booking an appointment. I can assist patients in finding specialists that are in network with their health insurance and verifying the costs of a consultation prior. Prior to an appointment, it is imperative that the patient prioritizes symptoms as well as questions in case they are pressed for time. In the case that time is limited, listing our questions and concerns by order of priority saves time in the long run and can help get the answers we are looking for.

I will also help a patient learn more details about their health insurance benefits, such as if being assigned a Case Manager is a benefit covered by their health insurance. Not only do I have experience working directly in multiple physical therapy facilities for about a decade, going above and beyond for patient care, I also have experience with insurance benefit verifications, authorization submissions, appeals for insurance denials or authorization denials, etc. I help patients obtain authorization prior to diagnostic testings, such as radiology exams, including MRIs or CT scans. I can also assist a patient researching a facility that offers a more unique test, such as an Upright MRI.
Important Information About Me
  • I offer a FREE Initial Consultation
  • I offer TeleAdvocacy Service
  • My geographical area of practice is USA, Virtual
Why I Became A Professional Health Care Advocate
This advocacy practice is led by someone that understands the battle of chronic pain firsthand. I finally received my diagnosis of a genetic connective tissue disorder, known as Ehlers Danlos Syndrome in 2021 at the age of 27, after much of my own advocacy and research; despite presenting with my first symptoms and seeking medical attention in the first grade.

With an Exercise Science degree and being a zebra in the EDS community, I believe I have found my true purpose; to continue advocating so we can raise awareness of EDS and co-morbidities. The more we are able to continue advocating, especially for others who may not have a voice, the more hope we have that the journey to a diagnosis is a lot less traumatizing for future generations. Here is to more research, awareness and advocacy eventually amounting to change in the diagnosis odyssey of those who come after us!

I love the privilege of being able to help others diagnosed with EDS, like myself, navigate life with EDS/HSD and be able to find themselves again. There is hope. Some of the biggest pieces of advice in my years of advocating are you know your body best, listen to the signs and symptoms you are experiencing and therefore, you are your OWN BEST HEALTH ADVOCATE! Combining all of my knowledge in physiology, anatomy, body mechanics, alignment and chronic pain, I am excited to continue making a difference in a community I am extremely passionate about. I am looking forward to empowering individuals with hypermobility and chronic pain to know they are capable of more than they realize and to help them gain the confidence necessary when walking into a doctor’s office to make informed decisions regarding their health and treatment plans.

My compassion for those with chronic pain like myself led me to enroll in my first Therapeutic 200 Hour Registered Yoga Teacher Training in 2016. In 2017, I graduated with my Bachelors in Exercise Physiology, all while battling an array of symptoms. For years on end, I had suffered from ongoing dizziness, headaches and joint pain that were impacting my life daily and worsened over the years. Since I was dismissed for so long, I became an expert at masking my pain. I soon convinced myself that everyone must be in pain as well. Fast forward to the years of 2014-2020, my symptoms became more debilitating. I went from doctor to doctor with no answers and them often blaming my symptoms on anxiety. Unfortunately, this is NOT uncommon. There are so many others like myself that are invalidated and dismissed for far too long. In 2021, while I was home recovering from Endometriosis surgery, I had come across the term EDS on Instagram. When I had time to research more about it, there wasn’t a question in my mind that I was experiencing a connective tissue disorder that was the culprit of my pain.

Receiving my diagnosis was bittersweet. I finally felt validated and everything made sense, but that also came with having to process both the physical and emotional aspects of this new diagnosis. EDS often comes with other comorbidities, many of which I live with, including Tethered Cord Syndrome, MCAS, Vasovagal Syncope, Endometriosis and Iron-deficiency Anemia. I was ready to start diving deeper into researching my connective tissue disorder. To have a disorder that you’re teaching your doctors about is frightening in many ways for our
patient population. This is the reason I soon became a patient advocate and voice for myself and others.

Although a provider may not feel comfortable treating EDS & common co-morbidities, in the future there has to be a time when there are more physicians validating patient’s symptoms, walking the journey with the patient so that they are not alone in the beginning stages of navigating the healthcare system and directing the patient to the
right resources. In the meantime, this is the important role of a Patient Advocate.
Contact Advocate
Formal Education
Montclair State University, Montclair, NJ
Major: Exercise Physiology; Minor: Psychology and Dance
Bachelors of Science | May 2017
Additional Skills
I have a decade of experience working in Physical Therapy facilities, where I have advocated on patient's behalf in regards to authorizations, appeals, denials with insurance, billing, etc.
Professional Affiliations
- In July of 2016, I received my 200 Hour Registered Yoga Teacher Certificate through Soma Yoga Institute
- In January of 2022, I received a continuing education course for my Yoga Certification, titled "Restorative Yoga for Chronic Pain and Nervous System Balance.”
- Attendee and Speaker sharing my journey on the topic of Diagnostic Odyssey at the FDA Meeting - The Externally Led Patient Focused Drug Development Meeting with the Ehlers-Danlos Society on October 31st of 2023.
- In February of 2023, I obtained my Certificate of Completion and Attendance for the EDS ECHO Integral Movement Method (IMM) Course led by Jeannie di Bon through the Ehlers-Danlos Society ECHO program.
- Then in 2024, I was accepted into the EDS ECHO Health Advocacy program through the Ehlers-Danlos Society led by Maggie Buckley, obtaining my Certificate of Completion on February 12th of 2025.

Other In-Person Advocacy Efforts:
- Unite 4 Answers Walk with Bobby Jones CSF - Sept 2024 & Sept 2025
- 2025 Bobby Jones CSF Together We Thrive Summit
→ Day 3: Advocacy Day - I presented my Ask at the Meeting with the Representatives
- 2024 EDS Global Learning Conference in Philadelphia, Friday July 19th
- The Endometriosis Summit 2022. Bench to Beltway to Bedside: Advocacy for Endometriosis Certificate

Virtual Attendee of the Following:
→ 2022 EDS Untangled: Ask the Experts
→ EDS ECHO Summit Series: Classical Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome
→ 2023 Global Learning Conference